Graduate school

See also

Research at the Department for Continuing Education

The Department has an active interdisciplinary research community, particularly with respect to public engagement and practitioner-based initiatives which build on the research interests of our academic staff and over 80 research students.

Henry VIII (Online)

Overview

The reign of Henry VIII was a key turning point in British history. The aim of this course is to study in detail the political, religious and cultural changes of the period, and to assess the role of the king and other key personalities in the transformation of society.

The reign of Henry VIII witnessed fundamental changes in English society, the nature of which remain the subject of intense debate among historians. This course will study the process by which England’s Defender of the Faith came to repudiate the spiritual jurisdiction of Rome, establish a separate national Church in England, Wales and Ireland, and oversee wide-ranging reform not only in religion, but also (to varying degrees) in government, administration and the law. The course will concern itself both with personalities (Wolsey, More, Boleyn, Cromwell, Cranmer among others) and with structures (Church, Court, and Council). Moreover, Henry’s controversial larger than life character dominates the period. Whether he was a ruthless tyrant or manipulated by scheming servants, a godly prince or religious opportunist, a warmonger or a musician and patron of the arts, in seeking to understand Henry’s preoccupations and ambitions we will address the key historical problems of the reign.

For information on how the courses work, and a link to our course demonstration site, please click here.

Programme details

Unit 1: Introduction to the Reign of Henry VIII

Overview of Henry’s life

The Wars of the Roses

Henry VII

Prince Henry’s early life and education

Unit 2: The Young King

Foundations of the reign

Kingship

The Henrician Court

Royal Progresses

Renaissance Monarchy

Unit 3: The Ascendancy and Impact of Cardinal Wolsey

King and Cardinal

Wolsey’s background and rise to power

Wolsey as a Reformer

Wolsey and administration

Wolsey and finances

Wolsey and the Church

Unit 4: The Divorce of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon

Overview of the divorce

Origins of the divorce and the initial campaign

Anne Boleyn

Impasse, 1529-32

The Radical Solution

Unit 5: The Henrician Reformation

The Reformation Parliament

The Royal Supremacy

The Dissolution of the Monasteries

The King’s Religion

Popular Religion

The Reformation debate

Unit 6: Henry’s Administration and Government

Administrative Structures

Tudor Frontiers

Cromwell in Administration and Government

The Kildare Rebellion

Northern rebellions I: causes

Northern rebellions II: leadership

Unit 7: Politics and Faction, 1529-1540

Wolsey’s Fall from power

The Fall of Anne Boleyn

Jane Seymour

Cardinal Pole and the Courtenays

Anne of Cleves

The Fall of Thomas Cromwell

Unit 8: Henrician Foreign Policy

European Rulers

Background: War and Diplomacy

Sixteenth Century Europe

Foreign Policy 1509-29

Foreign Policy 1529-47

Unit 9: Culture and Politics

Ceremonies

Art

Literature and Drama

Architecture

Unit 10: The End of the Reign

The Struggle for power and influence

Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr

Economy 1540-47

The Fall of the Howards

Henry VIII’s Last Will

The Historical Legacy of Henry VIII

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Recommended reading

To participate in this course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following books:

Certification

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £10 fee.

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.

All students who successfully complete this course, whether registered for credit or not, are eligible for a Certificate of Completion. Completion consists of submitting both course assignments and actively participating in the course forums. Certificates will be available, online, for those who qualify after the course finishes.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.